Sports

After medical redshirt, Beeker hopes to see playing time this fall

Emily Beeker, a 2021 graduate of Hendersonville High School, plays volleyball for the University of Tennessee.

By EILAH WOOD, Special to the Lightning, Published: July 22, 2022

Emily Beeker, a 2021 graduate from Hendersonville High School, had only played three years of volleyball before being recruited to play at the University of Tennessee.

She recalled her initial reaction when she learned Volunteer coaches were interested in adding her to the roster.
“The recruiting director told me that they were there to see me and so that was my first like, ‘Oh my God, I am going to be playing volleyball in college,’” Beeker said.
Beeker was redshirted for her first year due to a spine injury.
“I found out that it was fractured about like four or five months before I was supposed to move into Tennessee,” she said. “I had to have my vertebrae fused together and go to rehab before the fall semester.”
After being cleared to hit the court, Beeker sustained several more injuries to her spine that forced her to sit out the fall season. She hopes for more playing time in this season.
“This summer is really about my goals and developing my skills so that hopefully, I can get in there this fall,” she said.
Like most collegiate teams, practices are held around six times a week, lifting sessions three times a week, and Beeker is also expected to attend individual practices.
As a college student-athlete, “the most important thing is time management,” she says.
Although she experienced the culture shock of balancing school work with athletics, she is thankful to have teammates who make up her biggest support system.
“Some days are really, really hard to get through,” she said. “And it’s just good to know that we’re all going through it together.”
Beeker found her biggest community within her own position group, as she was able to seek assistance within the upperclassmen.
“The older middles have helped me out so much, because I only started playing my sophomore year, so I lacked a lot of experience,” she said.
Emily is the daughter of Tom and Angela Beeker, who is Hendersonville’s city attorney. After volleyball, her career plans include working as a behavioral analyst.